The United Soccer League brought together 32 teams from its Championship and League 1 to unveil the first-ever USL eCup Rocket League Edition set to start on March 31 and end on April 25.
Each club will choose a team captain who will serve as the primary player. However, each team is allowed to have two alternate players available through the course of the tournament.
Eight groups made up of four teams will make up the tournament's group stage. The top two teams of each group advance to the first knockout stage of the tournament which is a round of 16. The last team standing will be the first-ever USL eCup: Rocket League Edition.
Meet the captains and charities
Every team has chosen their captain and the charity that they will play for.
Clubs across the USL Championship will donate a percentage of merchandise proceeds to the local charities they have chosen. Along with this effort, clubs will continue to use their online presence to help their local communities. Let's meet the team captains and their charities:
San Diego Loyal SC
Captain: Andrew Vassiliadis – Chairman of SD Loyal SC
Charity: Feeding San Diego – Feeding San Diego is a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. Through our decentralized food recovery and distribution model, every dollar donated helps provide four meals to people in need.
Louisville City FC
Captain: Sean Totsch – player for Louisville City FC
Charity: One Louisville COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund – Fund that will deploy financial support to households, businesses, and nonprofit organizations working at the frontlines of the Louisville-area coronavirus outbreak.
North Texas SC
Captain: Jacob Walraven – Multimedia producer for North Texas SC and FC Dallas
Charity: FC Dallas Foundation – The FC Dallas Foundation strives to positively impact the health and well-being of undeserved youth through sports.
Las Vegas Lights FC
Captain: DJ Ocho – Las Vegas Lights FC DJ
Charity: Miracle League of Las Vegas – Provide opportunities for children with disabilities to play Miracle League baseball, regardless of their abilities. Promote community support and sponsorship of Miracle Leagues. Promote the construction of special facilities that meet the unique needs of Miracle League players and their families.
Pittsburg Riverhounds SC
Captain: Kenardo Forbes – Pittsburg Riverhound SC midfielder
Charity: AHN COVID-19 Assistance Fund – In response to the emerging needs surrounding COVID-19, and in response to the generosity that AHN has already received from employees and the community, AHN has set up a COVID-19 AHN Assistance Fund to provide immediate resources to address the emerging needs of AHN, our caregivers and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tacoma Defiance
Captain: Josh Atencio – 18-year-old midfielder for Tacoma Defiance
Charity: United Way of Pierce County – We work from the heart to unite caring people to tackle our community's toughest challenges. We unite the community to end poverty, one family at a time.
Austin Bold FC
Captain: Andrew Green – Austin Bold FC super-fan
Charity: Central Texas Food Bank – We are working around the clock to understand how we can best serve our clients during the pandemic, and that we anticipate a dramatic increase in need for our services in the coming weeks and months.
Loudoun United FC
Captain: Brandon Williamson – Loudoun United midfielder
Charity: Tourism & Hospitality Relief Fund – If you care about the employees who are being laid off or can't make a living because of the shutdown of Loudoun's tourism and hospitality businesses, this fund created by Visit Loudoun Foundation helps.
Union Omaha
Captain: Jake Mickelson – NA
Charity: Omaha Foundation – Together with several local foundations, the Omaha Community Foundation has launched the COVID-19 Response Fund to provide flexible resources to organizations in the metro area working with communities who are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus and the economic consequences of this outbreak.
El Paso Locomotive FC
Captain: Logan Ketterer – El Paso Locomotive goalkeeper
Charity: El Paso F&B Workers Fund – In this time of unprecedented crisis, a group of local service industry volunteers has established the El Paso Food and Beverage Workers Fund (EPFB Workers Fund) to provide a grant to Workforce Solutions Borderplex to support food and beverage workers in El Paso, Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, New Mexico who have been laid off or working significantly reduced hours due to a temporary closure as a result of the pandemic.
Phoenix Rising FC
Captain: Joey Farrel – Phoenix Rising defender
Charity: AZ COVID-19 Community Response Fund – The Arizona COVID-19 Community Response Fund supports Arizona nonprofit organizations as they respond to the spread of COVID-19.
Indy Eleven
Captain: Jordan Farr – Indy Eleven goalkeeper
Charity: Agape International Missions – Agape International Missions works holistically to end trafficking by protecting girls, rescuing the exploited, and empowering survivors.
North Carolina FC
Captain: Ryan Jernigan – Oak City Supporters club member
Charity: NCFC Youth Financial Aid Fund – Our mission is to provide positive, high quality soccer opportunities at all levels of play for youth and their families and to serve as a valuable community partner.
San Antonio FC
Captain: Josh Richards – NA
Charity: Spurs Give – Our mission is to strengthen and serve our community through impactful programming, player engagements, and investments that enrich the lives of youth and those around them.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Captain: Dillon Wavra – Promotions and media content manager
Charity: Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado – At Care and Share Food Bank, our core purpose is to bridge the gap between hunger and abundance. Our mission is to provide food, partnering opportunities, and education to fight hunger and food insecurity in Southern Colorado. Our vision is a hunger-free Southern Colorado.
Richmond Kickers
Captain: Nathan Heintschel – Digital content manager
Charity: Feed More Richmond – Feed More, our staff, Agency Network members and volunteers provide essential service to the communities we serve and will continue to do so as the COVID-19 public health crisis evolves.
Memphis 901 FC
Captain: NA
Charity: NA
Hartford Athletic
Captain: Damon Gray – Mad Hat Massive member
Charity: Foodshare – We are committed to staying open throughout this crisis. The safety and well-being of our staff, partner programs, volunteers and the community we serve is our top priority.
Greenville Triumph SC
Captain: Chris Ashley – Triumph SC fan
Charity: United Way of Greenville County – We all want Greenville County to be a thriving community where everyone can have a safe, stable and successful life. To this end, United Way brings together a diverse group of people, businesses and organizations around a shared desire to make Greenville County a place where everyone has the opportunities and resources to reach their full potential.
FC Tulsa
Captain: John Horlander – Communications coordinator
Charity: Tulsa Area United Way – The Tulsa Area United Way envisions a community where all individuals and families achieve their full human potential. The Tulsa Area United Way unites people and resources to improve lives and build a stronger community.
South Georgia Tormenta FC
Captain: Daniel Jackson – Tormenta FC forward
Charity: The Ibis Foundation – Formed in January 2017, the vision of the Ibis Foundation is simple, focusing on the benefits of a soccer lifestyle by teaching the fundamentals of the sport at the highest level in a healthy and competitive setting.
New York Red Bulls II
Captain: Preston Kilwien – Red Bulls II defender
Charity: Wings for Life – Wings for Life is a not-for-profit spinal cord research foundation. Our mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injury. We fund world-class scientific research and clinical trials around the globe aimed at healing the injured spinal cord.
Forward Madison FC
Captain: Brandon Eaton – Forward Madison FC forward
Charity: Flock Soccer Fund – We want to give people in our communities access to soccer programs and the health benefits that come with them regardless of physical ability or their families' finances.
Reno 1868 FC
Captain: Kevin Bass – PR/Communications manager
Charity: Food Bank of Northern Nevada – The Food Bank of Northern Nevada provides emergency food services to families through a network of more than 145 partner agencies in a 90,000 square mile service area throughout northern Nevada and the eastern slope of the sierra in California.
Rio Grande Valley FC
Captain: Anarbol Villareal – Equipment manager
Charity: RGV Food Bank – The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley is passionately committed to improving lives through food assistance, nutrition education, and access to community services.
Saint Louis FC
Captain: Keith Mayfield – Member of the St. Louligans
Charity: STL Area Food Bank – Everyone deserves access to food and the promise of a healthy diet which is why the St. Louis Area Foodbank is committed to building a stronger, healthier bi-state region where nobody goes to bed hungry.
FC Tucson
Captain: Trent Wieland – FC Tucson supporter (Rocket League veteran)
Charity: Community Food Bank of Southern AZ – You can picture a better future for southern Arizona. One where children don't go to bed hungry. One where families have the means to provide for themselves, where diet-related diseases like diabetes are on the decline, and local food production is on the rise.
Charleston Battery
Captain: Mauro Cichero – Charleston Batter forward
Charity: MUSC Foundation – In these uncertain times, you can positively impact patients, students, and health care workers on the front lines of this pandemic. Thank you for changing what's possible during this unprecedented health crisis.
Birmingham Legion FC
Captain: Patrick Glenn – Merchandise manager
Charity: Birmingham Strong Fund – The Birmingham Strong Fund will rapidly deploy resources to small businesses in Birmingham that are substantially affected by the Coronavirus
OKC Energy FC
Captain: Billy Walton – Director of marketing and communications
Charity: Energy Assist Foundation – The Energy Assist Foundation provides underserved youth with soccer equipment and safe places to play through partnerships with local organizations. Our mission is to make a positive impact in the community with a focus on health, opportunity, and safety through the sport of soccer.
Toronto FC II
Captain Kevin Silva – Toronto FC II goalkeeper
Charity: Second Harvest – Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue charity with a dual mission of environmental protection and hunger relief.
Philadelphia Union II
Captain: Evan Slabicki – Senior sales executive
Charity: City Team Chester – We are all part of this story – volunteers, donors, staff, and the people we serve. Together, we are living out Christ's call to love our neighbor as ourselves. We Are CityTeam.